Cape Town Travel Guide & Tips

Here are some of the important things you need to know about Cape Town before going, in brief. Consult a Cape Town travel guide to know more about the city, its culture, cuisine and what all it has to offer in detail.

Weather in Cape Town: Cape Town enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate with equal summers and winters. Cape Town weather during the warm months is hot and dry, with temperature reaching the 30s and 40s gradually. Despite the warmth, the attraction of beach holidays brings in a whole lot of tourists during summer. Winters are cool and wet with quite a bit of rainfall. Overall, Cape Town climate is suitable for visit all around the year, as it never quite becomes extreme in nature.

Nightlife in Cape Town: Longmarket Street, Long Steet, Bree Street – these are the places to find popular night time haunts in Cape Town. Among famous bars of Long Street there is Beerhouse, Honest Chocolate, Fiction Bar, Aces and Spades and Coco. For a more elegant crowd, visit Madison Square and the posh celebrity haunt, Saint.

Shopping in Cape Town: Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is one of the most posh shopping areas in Cape Town, followed by Canal Walk and Greenmarket Square. From global brands to local African curios, you will find everything in the shopping centres of Woodstock. Among Cape Town shopping malls, Cavendish Square and Willowbridge are quite famous and deserve a visit. Even if you do not shop from everywhere, simply window shopping is very much rewarding.

Food in Cape Town: While visiting, eating Cape Town food which is indigenous to the city is very important for the experience. On the must-have list there is the Capetonian staple Gatsby – a type of sandwich, Bilton – a type of dried meat, Bobotie – meatloaf with raisins, Boerewors – traditionally barbecued sausages and Koeksisters – twisted African pastries for the sweet tooth.

Festivals in Cape Town: Knowing Cape Town facts before visiting the city will tell you about the various festivals the city celebrates. Other than the usual Christmases and New Years, the International Jazz Festival, Whale Festival in Hermanus, Up the Creek, Kirstenbosch Summer Concert are some which you should not miss at all.